Tender, fluffy cinnamon rolls might seem impossible without dairy and eggs, but these soft vegan cinnamon rolls rise to the occasion. They’re naturally egg-free and made dairy-free, and provide a bakery-style breakfast experience. You can make them completely by hand, with a little help from your stand mixer, or with extra assistance from your bread machine.
Soft Vegan Cinnamon Rolls with Bread Machine & Raisin Options
This soft vegan cinnamon rolls recipe is adapted from the Betty Crocker Best Bread Machine Cookbook. We made the recipe by hand, swapped out any dairy, added some options, and adjusted the directions. But we stayed true to the original formula, which was already eggless! I’ve also retained the bread machine directions, so you can make the recipe by hand or with the help of your bread maker.
Why Use Bread Flour in Cinnamon Rolls?
Bread flour is higher protein than all-purpose flour, and can absorb more liquid than all-purpose flour. This adds to the moistness and softness of the finished roll while providing structure to maintain a loftier lift.
If you substitute all-purpose flour for the bread flour, the recipe will still work, but these vegan cinnamon rolls won’t be quite as soft and boisterous. You can increase the yeast a little, up to 1 3/4 teaspoons, to help with the rise. But the resultant rolls will still be a little wimpier.
Do I have to Knead the Dough?
If you have a bread machine, it will do the work for you. But if you are making the rolls by hand, you definitely want to knead the dough. It develops the gluten to give your vegan cinnamon rolls their tender texture. But don’t worry – it can actually be fun! This is a soft dough that is wonderful to work with, and kneading dough is quite therapeutic. See this tutorial for How to Knead Dough, which includes a stand mixer option (if you don’t want to get your hands dirty).
Special Diet Notes: Glazed Vegan Cinnamon Rolls
By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian.
- 3⁄4 cup + 2 tablespoons warm water
- 1¼ teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2½ cups bread flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons oil (can sub dairy-free buttery spread)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1⁄3 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons dairy-free buttery spread
- ½ cup raisins (optional)
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 to 2 tablespoons dairy-free milk beverage, as needed
- 1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Place the water in a mixing bowl and sprinkle on the yeast. Let it sit and proof for 5 minutes. If active, it should be foamy.
- Add about half of the flour, the sugar, oil, and salt to the yeast mixture and stir until combined. Gradually stir in the remaining flour, bringing the dough together with your hands when needed.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and knead it until smooth and elastic, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Place the dough back in the mixing bowl and cover it lightly. Let the dough rise in a warm place for about 1 hour, or until double in size.
- Punch the dough down and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Grease a 9-inch square baking dish.
- Roll the dough out into a 9x11 inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface.
- Spread the dairy-free buttery spread evenly over the dough. Evenly sprinkle on the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture. Sprinkle on the raisins (if using).
- Starting from one of the short sides, tightly roll the dough up into a log and pinch the edge to seal. Turn the log seam side down, and cut into 1-inch slices. Place the slices seam side down in your prepared baking dish.
- Cover the rolls loosely with plastic wrap and let them rise for 1 hour in a warm place, or overnight in the refrigerator (if you want to bake them in the morning). The dough should double in size.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Bake the rolls for 20 minutes, or until golden.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk beverage, and vanilla to make a glaze. Drizzle or brush the glaze on the warm raisin cinnamon rolls.
This recipe is adapted from Betty Crocker's Best Bread Machine Cookbook.
More Vegan Cinnamon Roll Recipes
The Best Double-the-Cinnamon Rolls
Healthy Apple Cinnamon Rolls
Birthday Cake Cinnamon Rolls
